Owl City receives first RIAA Diamond certification

It is hard to believe that Owl City broke through the mainstream way back in 2009 with his classic single, Firefly. While the music scene and world, in general, are much different places 14 years later, his single continues to be a staple for fans around the world.

Earning the elite status is an incredible achievement, and joins an exclusive list of just 97 other singles to earn the Diamond Certification.  Originally released on his sophomore album, the 2x Platinum Ocean Eyes, it is by far his most popular solo single, but shares the album with another Platinum-certified track, Vanilla Twilight.  In the decade-plus since the album’s release, Owl City has continued to be a force in the dance and pop music worlds and earned further acclaim through his 2008 collaboration with Carly Rae Jepson, Good Time, which climbed all the way to the number 8 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Most recently, Owl City appeared alongside two of the trance music world’s most revered producers, Armin van Buuren and Gareth Emery, as they joined forces for the 2022 hit single, Forever And Always.  The prolonged success since the release of Firefly is certainly a well-deserved reward for the Minnesota-born producer and songwriter, whose lush productions and soothing vocals represent a strong link between the emo phase of the early 2000’s and since evolved into the mainstream success of dance music in the following decade.  Owl City was key player in that transition, as his lyrics harkened back to acts like The Postal Service, Bright Eyes, and HelloGoodbye and yet his prominent use of synthesizers and digital instruments would wind up being the direction of music going forward.

Today that crucial spot in music history has helped propel him into truly rarified air, as he can now celebrate the honor of producing an RIAA Diamond certified single.  Massive congratulations to Owl City on the achievement and continued success!

Image Credit: Jens Schott Knudsen via Flickr | License: Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)